The Only Time Lying is Acceptable
by JMolover13
Summary: Henry makes the curse up to bring his mommies back together.


**AN: I'm so very sorry if you like Graham… I know I do… but he was just so very easy to turn into the 'bad' guy… not to say that he is a bad guy, but… he's definitely the antagonist… And I'm sorry if this one is a little bit all over the place…. I've literally been writing bits and pieces over the last couple weeks because it's the only time I've had to write… in little tiny sessions, which is NOT how I like to write, but I took what I could get! This is also probably why it's so lengthy….**

Emma and Henry pulled up outside the Mayor's house. The blonde turned the key in the ignition of the beat up beetle and sighed as she rested her head against the steering wheel, "Kid… I can't believe you did this to your mother…"

"You're my mom too!" Henry cried, "Momma you're the savior! And Mom is the evil queen… and you have to save everyone from her! I know that you love her! You said so yourself! You have to do something… If you don't… It will be bad…"

"Henry…" She reached out and caught his cheek in her hand, "One thing you'll learn about me sooner or later is that I… am no savior. I'm simply a woman that was in love with another woman—"

"Which is why you're the savior. You're the only one that can fix her… She doesn't love anyone. She doesn't love me. She only pretends to… She can't love me because she thinks of you."

Emma chuckled bitterly as she got out of the car and slammed her door as hard as she could before kicked the side as well, "Of course it's all my damn fault!" She slammed a fist to the car's roof.

Henry got out of his side tentatively and walked around to his mother, "It's not your fault, Momma… It's no one's fault… It just is…" He shrugged then pulled on her jacket, "But you are the savior… and the curse is real." He looked at her with pleading eyes, "Please stay… Just for a week! You'll see!"

Emma tilted her head to the house and closed her eyes, "I'm gonna have to think about it, Henry…" She took his hand and moved to the walkway.

"HENRY!" Regina ran down the porch to him and enveloped him in a hug, "Ugh! Are you okay?! Where have you been? What happened?" She stood from hugging him and looked thank whoever found him and brought him back. Her eyes widened and she vaguely heard her son yelling at her before rushing off into the house, "What… are you doing here?"

Emma bit her lip and looked down, "Look, Regina, I know that I only get supervised visits when it's alright on your watch and blah, blah, blah, but he found me, alright? I just wanted to make sure that he got home safe…" She unintentionally checked her ex out and damn she looked fucking good. She closed her eyes, "I'm just…" She pointed behind her.

Regina looked behind her as well, "You still drive that thing?" The brunette asked after her ex took a few steps towards her car… she couldn't help but check out her backside as it stared back at her.

Emma stopped walking and smirked, "Of course." She turned back around, "Too many memories to throw it away." Emma said in a tone that she knew would make the other woman blush.

And blush she did. Regina turned her head to the side then back to her, "Would you like some apple cider?"

Emma smirked, "Hell yes." She said as the smirk turned to a smile.

"Great." Regina led her inside the mansion.

After the sheriff came down from making sure Henry was alright and after he hesitated a bit, looking only at Regina and barely giving the blonde a second glance before he left, Regina led Emma to her study.

The blonde made herself right at home. "The mayor and the sheriff." She said, "I can't say I'm surprised…" She looked behind her to see Regina's surprised face and her hands frozen.

"H…How could you possibly—"

"Come on, Regina…" Emma gave her a look, "I know you. I know every part of you. I know how you act when you're trying to hide something from me…" She stood up and walked to the brunette then took her cider, "Or in this case someone." She placed the glass against her lips and sipped from it. She looked at her ex in the way she wasn't allowed to anymore and walked back to the couch, "How serious is it?" She turned the glass in circles in her hands.

"Excuse me?" Regina shook from her stupor and walked over to the blonde.

Emma looked up at her, "How. serious. is. it?" She asked once more, and when Regina still seemed to not register what she was asking, she added, "You and sexy sheriff…?"

"Oh…" She waved it off, "It's nothing."

The way Regina spoke awakened something in Emma… it awakened her need for the other woman, the want for her. It awakened her fight for the other woman. She tried to shake from it though.

"It's something." Emma ducked her head lower, trying to get the brunette to look at her. Once she had her eyes, she gave her a sad look, "I'm not going to say that I'm not disappointed, or pissed even… But I'm not gonna do anything about it either… I've already done too much to you to try and ruin something good for you…" She downed her cider, "But I think I am gonna stick around a while and show you just how much I've changed… show you that I can be the wife you always wanted…"

Regina narrowed her eyes, "But you're not going to interfere?"

Emma smirked, _Busted!_ "I'm going to give you options… Like when I ask you on a date, I will remind you of him… Before I kiss you goodnight, I will ask if it's alright and remind you of him… I'm always going to give you an out."

"You do know that you're not, not interfering… You're telling me that you're going to pursue me and try to put this family back together… That's not, not interfering."

Emma grinned and stood up, "Yeah… funny thing is, is you're not trying to stop me." She leaned down and kissed Regina then pulled away quickly, "I said I'd give you options on our date… that was a freebie." She grinned as she walked out of the office.

Regina stared off, mouth agape as she thought about what just happened… and the fact that she didn't try to stop it at all. Then as she heard the slam of the front door, she smiled and pressed her fingers to her lips.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma got a room at Granny's and the next morning she went to the diner. She was sitting in a booth with her coffee, special thanks to Ruby, when Graham walked in. He saw her and walked over to her and sat across from her.

"I uhh… I didn't think you'd still be here today." He looked at her with question.

"Yeah, well my kid wants me to stay around. So… since Regina wasn't apposed, I figured I'd stay until she does have a problem." She smirked, "But uh…" She grinned, "I don't see her having a problem with her son's mother hanging around…"

"Even though you… haven't been around for five, six years?" Graham asked with an angry smirk.

Emma glared daggers lit with flames at him, "You don't know me. You don't know what happened."

"But I do know that you left. And I do know that Regina has moved on." He sat forward a bit, "Now, if I thought that you were only here to see Henry, I wouldn't be sitting here—"

"Then why are you sitting here?"

"I think you've somehow got it in your head that you're going to get Regina back. And I'm here to tell you not to even bother… She's with someone."

"Yes, I know sexy sheriff." Emma smirked at his surprise, "Don't act all shocked. I can read the woman like a children's bedtime story." She rolled her eyes then with a sigh, "Look… Regina is… She's everything to me. Yes things happened and I left, but that doesn't take away the fact that she's the mother of my child and it certainly doesn't take away the fact that I do love her."

"Well you're too late." Graham said, "You should at least respect that."

"You're right, I should… But I'm not going to…" Emma smiled at him, "Because it's not too late."

Graham stood up with a huff. He shoved Emma's coffee cup off the table before stalking outside. Emma got up immediately to help Ruby pick everything up, "I'm sorry Ruby."

"No, it's okay…" She smiled, "He's not such a terrible guy, you know.."

Emma smiled, "I know."

"Then why are you upsetting him."

"Because he's with my one true love…" Emma stared off into space, still thinking about all of her son's ramblings from the night before. She shook her head, "You know my kid?" She looked at the waitress.

Ruby smiled, "Henry? Yes… he has quite the imagination…" She looked off to the side.

"He's told you about the 'curse'?" Emma was surprised.

"Yeah." Ruby smirked a bit, "You could say that."

Emma gave the brunette a look, "Why do you say it like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like you think he thinks it's a joke?"

Ruby was literally taken aback… no one in town had ever been able to read her before, but Emma was practically inside her head. She opened and closed her mouth, like a fish out of water, then clenched her jaw tight, trying to get control of herself… she couldn't blow this for her little man. She looked Emma square on, "The curse is _not_ a joke to him." …that much was true. It wasn't… it was a way to get his moms back together and that was anything but a joking matter.

Emma kept her eyes on the brunette a bit before she felt arms wrap around her middle. She turned after almost being knocked over to find her son as the source, "Hey kid!" She hugged him tight.

"You stayed!" he said excitedly, "I knew you would."

Emma smiled before looking at the clock, "Wait… don't you have school?"

"Duh, I'm ten… Walk me?" He asked with those pleading eyes… Regina taught him well.

Emma nodded and took her son's hand as they walked along the sidewalk after leaving Granny's.

"Henry…" Emma looked down at her son and spoke in a tone that told Henry to keep his eyes on the sidewalk, "Why didn't you tell me that your mother was with someone else?"

"I…" He looked up and saw the woman he darted from as Graham stopped them on the street, "Hi Mom!" He grinned as he pulled his blonde mother along, happily interrupting Graham and brunette mother. He took her gloved hand, "You and momma are walking me to school." Then he looked to Graham, "Sorry Sheriff… I only have two hands." He turned away and smirked down to the ground, happy to leave the one person that was capable of pulling his mothers apart in the dust.

"Kid." Emma scolded sternly after they were out of earshot.

"What?"

"You're being an ass—a little butt." Emma she tried to cover her dirty mouth with no success. She looked to the brunette woman and shrugged apologetically.

"Am not. I was just stating a fact." Henry turned to his blonde mother, "And the fact is that I only have two hands… one for both my parents. Graham isn't one of my parents." He didn't feel the need to say, 'and he's never going to be either' because he knew that both his mothers knew the real end to his statement. He looked to his older mother with an apologetic look he got from his younger one, "I'm just saying, Mom…"

With that he dropped his mothers' hands and ran into the schoolyard, "You're both gonna pick me up and take me to dinner before my session, right?" he looked over to see Emma bouncing in place to try and keep warm and Regina rolling her eyes, shaking her head.

They both turned back to him, "Of course, kid." Emma called as she not so subtly stepped as close to Regina as possible.

Henry smiled wide before turning back around and almost hitting his teacher dead-on, "Oh, sorry Miss Blanchard."

"Is that your mother?" The pixie cut woman asked.

Henry smiled, "Yeah… Both of them." He said before running inside.

Regina felt Emma's sniffle in her ear, "You're too close." She turned her head and gave the blonde a stern look.

"I'm sorry!..." She stepped away and started bouncing again, "I'm frickin' freezing."

Regina shook her head, "Come on…" She gave Emma her arm, which the blonde happily clung to as they made their way to the mansion.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Regina has fixed a fire in the living room and given Emma hot cocoa before she went out to the garage. Emma was quick to follow and found herself happy that she had. She smirked as she leaned against the doorframe and stared at the brunette's ass as she moved boxes around.

"You know, a woman could die following you." Emma smiled as Regina jumped and turned around.

"What are you talking about?" She asked as she bent back to root through the box she just opened.

"I'm talking about your sexy ass body, Regina… You could give someone a heart attack." Emma stepped in the garage more, "I mean honestly, babe, you're just too much sexy for one person… it's not fair."

Regina stood straight and turned to find her ex that wanted the 'ex' taken off two inches from her face, "You're too close again."

"I can't help it." Emma whispered.

"Yes." Regina pushed her, "You can." She knelt back down and picked up the box before putting it in her arms, "Here." She walked out of the room.

Emma looked to find all the winter clothes she left before she… left. She stared at them in thought. She looked over them all… they had all been put away with care. They weren't thrown or trashed. Regina kept them. She bit her lip as she walked back into the mansion. She dropped the box just inside the garage door and went in search for the brunette.

She found said woman in front of the fire and she walked over and plopped behind her, holding her close like she used to do.

"Emma!" Regina tried unsuccessfully to pull from her.

"Regina!" Emma mimicked before she held her tighter.

"Get off." Regina tried, but in reality she clung tighter to the blonde as well.

"No." Emma whispered and held her tight, "You know I love you. You know I love our kid. You were the one that kicked me out. You were the one that did the breaking… and I was the idiot that ran away." She took in a sharp breath, "But I came back and we can fix the broken part of us."

"I'm with another man."

"Do you want to be?"

"Yes." Regina said seriously.

"Do you want to be with me?"

Regina stared at the flames as a tear rolled down her cheek, "Yes."

"I want to be with you. I want to be with our son."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"What am I supposed to say?"

Emma shook her head as she shrugged, "Fuck if I know…" After a bout of silence, she spoke up again, "So… I'm gonna check out of Granny's."

Regina turned, "What?" She could not believe Emma was giving up this easily.

"Yeah, I found a place."

"Really? Where?"

"Upstairs and across from Henry… that is, until you realize that you don't really love Graham and you're just clinging to him because he's what you've known since I left and I am now the unknown and that scares you so that's the only reason you're with him even though really, deep down, you want to be with me and only me… then I will move into your room with you."

Regina raised a brow, "You really think I'm going to let that happen?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because it would make our son happy."

~0~0~0~0~0~

Two weeks later, Regina sauntered down the stairs in her date clothes… they were date clothes because the hems were a little higher, the neckline a little lower, the heels a little taller, and the undergarments a little smaller…

She smiled as she looked into the living room, "Alright, I'll be back sometime around eleven." She said.

Henry turned from the television, "Fine." He didn't look at her, he looked passed her.

Regina stared at him a moment, then looked to his left at his other mother, "Em…"

Emma didn't bother looking over, "Yeah."

"Talk to your son."

Emma spoke monotone, as if it were something she told him everyday because she had had to memorize it, "Henry, just because your mother is going on a date with Graham does not mean that you can use that tone with her…" She looked over to the brunette, "Happ….y" She trailed off as she took the woman in. "Damn it." She muttered as she rolled off the couch and walked over to her. She looked over to their son to see him watching them intently with a smirk on his face, "Can I talk to you?" She spoke calmly and motioned away from the living room.

"Fine." She glanced back to Henry once more before following her ex to the foyer.

Emma turned abruptly, "You're not going to sleep with him, are you?" she whined quietly.

"That…." Regina leaned back at a forty-five degree angle to make sure Henry wasn't listening, "Is none of your business."

Emma's nostrils flared, "I think who my wife sleeps with is my business."

"We are not married!" Regina gave her an incredulous look, "Just because you move into my house and slap that ring back on your hand does not mean that everything that happened just vanished…." She shook her head and leaned in, "You're giving into his beliefs, and that is just as bad as telling him he's crazy."

"I don't care if he is crazy!" Emma hissed, "He's right!" She grit through her teeth, "We are meant to be together… What we have is true fuckin' love and you know it!"

"Oh, do I?" Regina raised her brows and took a step back.

Emma pulled her in and turned, pushing her against the wall behind her right next to the fancy ass mirror, "Yes. You do." Emma closed her eyes, took a deep breath and let her forehead fall against the brunette's, "I know that you have something to prove… Alright? I know that… But I am begging you…. Babe… Please don't sleep with him."

"How many times do I have to tell you that I am not your 'babe' or your 'honey' or 'sweetie' or 'baby' or—?"

"Until you mean it with your eyes, Sweet Pea." Emma smiled and leaned into the brunette, pressing their bodies together fully, "Go out with me tomorrow."

The doorbells sounded and Regina pushed Emma off of her, "I don't know." she checked herself in the mirror, "I might be too tired from all the sex I'll be having with my boyfriend tonight." She gave the blonde a cheeky grin before walking to the door.

Henry was sent to bed at ten. Emma knew that Regina was probably lying when she said she'd be back at eleven, but she didn't think that ten-thirty was the side of eleven she was coming home on.

The blonde knit her brows as she heard noises coming from the outside of the front door… at first she thought it was knocking, but as she got closer, she heard voices… angry voices. She couldn't help the grin that came on her face… She tried to stop… She really did.

"Are you seriously asking me that?" Regina was incredulous for the second time that night.

"I wanna know. I mean, we're so different. How can there even be a competition? I mean, why am I having to compete for something I already have."

Emma's brows raised at this… _Ooooooooohhhhh! Regina is gonna be pissed! She ain't 'had' by NOBODY! Ya idiot!_

Emma could practically hear the sculpted brow raise on Regina's face, "I'm sorry… you 'have' me?"

"Well… yeah. You're _my_ girlfriend. You're mine. I have you."

"No." Regina pushed him away, "You do not have me. I am not a thing that you can claim… I give permission when you're allowed to 'have' me, and you, Sheriff. You do not 'have' me."

"Regina."

"Goodnight, Graham."

"Regina, come on!"

"I said goodnight!" She put her key in the hole.

"I didn't." Graham tried to pull her from the door. "Regina, come on. Talk to me."

"I have already. Now let. me. go."

From what Emma could hear, he didn't.

"Graham!"

She hopped up from her hiding place and flung the door open, "Oh!" Emma's brows were in her hairline as she saw her wife and her wife's boyfriend making out… that is until they realized they had company, "So sorry." She knit her brows and tried to replay the words she heard, "I thought I heard…" She waved her hands, "Never mind." She hung her head and went back inside.

"No, Emma, wait." Regina pushed from Graham and gave the man a glare before she walked inside in front of Emma.

Emma looked at Regina, but the brunette wouldn't look at her, letting her know that she had indeed heard what she had heard. She turned back to Graham, "If you ever touch my wife again. If she ever gives you the opportunity, you better be handling her like crystal glass, 'cause I swear to God if I find out that you grabbed her, I'll go Lorena Bobbitt so hard on you that you won't know your dick is gone until I've thrown it in the ditch…. Or better yet, fed it to a wolf."

Graham swallowed… gulped in fear more or less, but he kept himself contained, "I would never hurt her and you know it. So the only reason you're threatening me is because you think that I'm going to win."

Emma chuckled viciously, "Dude, you told her that you 'had' her… I wasn't allowed to use that one until I married her… Everyone who's anyone knows that Regina is not a woman that can be owned… Why do you think she's dating the both of us at once? Because she owns us… we don't own her…" He turned away from her because he didn't have a retort, "Oh by the way…" Graham turned back and walked back in front of the door before Emma opened her mouth as if to speak before she slammed the door in his face. "You are not 'winning,' ya dick." She mumbled before she turned around to see Regina.

"Lorena Bobbitt? Really?" She crossed her arms.

"If he hurt you…. Hell fuckin' yes."

"He did not hurt me." She rolled her eyes, "I initiated it all…" She rolled them again, but this time it was at herself, "He asked how my day was… and I told him what we did."

"And you initiated a fight with sexy sheriff because…."

Regina stepped forward, "I told him was _we_ did." She emphasized the 'we' to tell her that she mentioned her unconsciously.

Emma broke into a smirk, "You talked about me? Honey, that's so sweet, but I mean, you were on a date… It's not ladylike to talk about your wife while you're on a date with a man…"

"We are not married!"

"But we will be again." She smiled as she took Regina's hands then wrapped the brunette up in a hold and started dancing to a beat that only they knew, "You know we will be again…"

"Why do I know that?"

"Because that how the curse breaks." Emma smiled.

"The curse? The curse that our son invented and believes is real for no real reason at all?"

Emma grinned, "Yup." She leaned in closer, "So… where do you want to go on our date for tomorrow. Are you feeling fancy or fun?"

"I never agreed."

"You never disagreed…"

"Yes I—"

"You said that you _might_ be tired from all the sex…." Emma looked from left to right, "I don't see the sexy sheriff anywhere, so unless all the sex is gonna be with me, which…." Emma gave her a lazy, goofy smile, "I'd be happy to provide you… I think we're going on a date tomorrow."

Regina shook her head before laying it on Emma's shoulder, "Fine… I guess I'm feeling fun."

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma practically had to push Regina into her beetle, "Come on, woman!" She opened the passenger door and trapped her in the triangle between the open door and the car itself, "Get in…" Her voice lowered an octave, "You and I both know you're not going to regret it." She gave her a wink and refrained from kissing her.

"Fine." Regina could tell how hard it was for the blonde to not lean in. So, she decided to take it upon herself to do the… 'dirty' work. She leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth, "Do I have to?"

Emma became instant glue, but she did her damndest to hold her ground, "Yes."

Regina kissed at the same spot once more, "But it's the beetle… You know how I've always hated the beetle."

Emma grinned, "I know how you always say that you hate the beetle, but in reality we've had more fun and adventures with the beetle than any of your cars. You love the beetle… you especially love the back of the beetle," the blonde glanced to the back seats then at the seat Regina was about to plant herself in, "And the front of the beetle, and the hood of the beetle…" She put her hand on the window of the door behind the passenger's, "And this door…. You really, really loved this door of the beetle once." She felt Regina shiver and looked back to the brunette, "Don't tell me you hate the beetle, Baby… I know better." She grinned, "Now, will you please get in the car?"

Regina swallowed hard before nodding and turned to get into the car. Emma walked around, got in the car, took Regina's hand and took off, "Is sexy Sheriff alright with this?" She turned to the brunette as she drove down a winding road that Regina knew for a fact led to nowhere.

Regina pursed her lips, "You mean does he know?" She glanced to the blonde who simply shrugged, "He knows." She laced their fingers as she spoke her next words, "He wasn't thrilled with the idea of my going on a date with my ex-wife, and he told me to choose if I wanted him or you this afternoon."

Emma looked at her with wide eyes and slammed the breaks of the car, "You chose me?"

Regina eyed her seriously after recovering from the sudden stop, "I chose not him…" She knit her brows and looked away, "He just… He's been possessive lately… He's always been that way, and—"

"You are not a thing to be owned." Emma gave her a goofy smile when the brunette gave her a look that could only mean, 'Hell fuckin' yes.' "You let me call you mine… once upon a time…"

"Depending on how tonight and the future goes," She took a breath, "Depending on if you've really changed as you say you have… then you might be so lucky to call me yours again."

Emma didn't say anything for a bit as she pulled the car back onto the dirt road. She squeezed Regina's hand and as they were getting close to where they were going, which she knew Regina was thinking was nowhere, she glanced at the brunette, "So… since sexy Sheriff is already out of the picture am I still gonna need to give you options tonight or can I just kiss you anytime I want?"

Regina grinned but did respond, instead she asked, "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere." The blonde grinned and let go of the brunette's hand only to squeeze her thigh.

"Nowhere!" The brunette said with a punch of excitement she hadn't felt since… before Emma left. "You have me in jeans and a sweatshirt—side note, very romantic…" She rolled her eyes, "And now you are driving along the one road that leads to absolutely nowhere…"

"Well, if you know where it leads then why are you asking where we're going?" She grinned as she looked at the brunette.

"Emma Swan!"

Emma laughed, "Relax Regina…. We're here." She pulled off the road to a very grassy, very abandoned barn that kids used to use to scare each other.

"The old barn?" Regina asked and Emma grinned as she got out.

She nodded, "The old barn." She said as she rounded the car and grabbed Regina's hand, pulling her along.

"This place is kind of creepy!" The brunette hissed.

"It is not!"

"Yes, Emma it is!"

"You are such a baby!"

"Am not!"

"Really? You're not?" Emma raised a brow at the woman… their eyes had already adjusted to the dark. She looked behind Regina, "Oh my God! WHAT IS THAT!" She pointed, and ducked.

Regina's eyes widened and she turned around, "I hate you Emma Swan!" She turned back to find that Emma was not next to her anymore, "Emma?" She panicked a bit, "This isn't funny!" She cried as she bounced her weight from leg to leg. She turned back around once more hoping that she would catch the blonde sneaking up on her, but there was nothing. Then, hands grabbed her waist and 'bah!' came from the grabber, "AHHHHHHHH!" The brunette fetaled up and the two women fell to the floor. Once she got over the scare, she turned to the blonde, "I hate you."

"No." Emma smiled, leaned in and kissed her cheek, "You don't." She settled over the brunette and kissed her cheek again then moved so she hovered over Regina's ear, "You are such a scared little baby." Regina's response was to hit Emma hard in the side, "OW!" She started laughing as she tried to get away from the many swats coming her way. "Regina, come on!"

Regina was now the one on top, "This is some first date Em, really… Scaring me and giving me no way of escape…"

"Oh come on, now…" Emma smiled as she pushed up into a sitting position, "We're just getting started." She got up and walked to the side of the barn where she grabbed a plug.

Regina knit her brows, but before she knew it, after Emma plugged it in, a ton of twinkly lights lit up the circular barn to reveal a giant trampoline and a stretched white sheet on another side of the barn. She looked over to Emma, "What is all this?"

"Well… You said you wanted a fun date… Trampolines are fun… twinkly lights are fun, and movies are fun… especially with popcorn and candy, which we can pop later…"

"How did you get electricity down here?"

"I bought the mother of all generators…" She pointed over to reveal… the mother of all generators. She took in Regina as Regina took in all the lights, "You wanna jump now, or…"

Regina smiled and nodded, but as Emma moved to the trampoline, she grabbed the blonde's hand and invaded her space, hugging her tight around the neck, "Thank you."

Emma breathed out a chuckle, "You're welcome." She held the brunette close. "I love you…" she looked into the brunette's eyes and leaned in for a real kiss, not sneaky peck like they'd shared thus far, but a real live, toe tingling—everything tingling, insides gushing, foot popping kiss.

Regina sighed happily as the kiss broke. She pressed their foreheads together, "Oh, I definitely made the right choice."

~0~0~0~0~0~

Henry had been observing his mothers ever since their date six weeks ago. He knew that they were extremely happy. He also knew that he had to tell them something—because he knew it was the right thing, and Archie was making him… He didn't know how they were going to react. He had asked Ruby to come over… mainly so that he'd have no choice but to come out with it.

Ruby had been there for about half an hour encouraging him, telling him that it was going to be fine. They walked down the stairs and crept to the living room where Emma and Regina were watching TV.

"I can't do it."

"Yes you can, Henry." Ruby smirked at him.

"But what if Momma leaves again…"

"Emma isn't going to leave because you lied… if anything she should be thanking you for getting her back together with Regina…"

"They're gonna be so mad…"

"They won't be mad forever…" She knelt down before him and put her hands on his shoulders, "Believe me, there are worse things you could have done then make your moms realize that they still love and need each other…"

Henry nodded and took a deep breath before he grabbed Ruby's hand and walked into the living room. He went to the TV and turned it off.

"Hey, kid!" Emma looked at him, "We were watching that…. Kind of." She looked to the brunette who gave her a look.

"I need to tell you something." He said as he squeezed Ruby's hand.

Both mothers looked between Henry and Ruby, "Uhhhhhhh….. Kid, older women are great, but I think you're starting a little early—God damn it that fucking hurts!" She pulled her arm from Regina's claws and found ten deep crescent moon prints on her arm.

"What?" Henry looked at his blonde mother then looked to Ruby and quickly let go of her hand, "EW! I don't like Ruby! She's… old."

"Ouch." Ruby crossed her arms, "First gentlekid I come across and I'm old…" She gave him a look, "See if you ever get to play my N-64 again."

"Ru-By!" He emphasized the syllables, "It's not my fault your old!"

"Henry…" Regina interrupted, "What do you need to tell us?"

He knew it was now or never. He turned to his mothers and took a breath. He didn't look at him, "I made the curse up…"

Emma and Regina looked at each other, "It's not real. Mom's not the evil queen, Miss Blanchard isn't Snow White… I made the whole thing up…"

"You… made it up?" Regina eyed him.

Emma stood up and pointed to Ruby, "You knew he made it up!" Her eyes were wide, but not with anger, with a bit of joy.

Ruby nodded, "Sorry…. He just… he was so desperate to get you here and…" She stepped behind Henry and pushed his cheeks together with both hands, "I mean, look at this face! I couldn't say no!"

"I knew it!" The blonde stamped a foot with excitement.

"You knew he made it up?" Regina was baffled.

Emma took in her lover, "NO!" She said clarifying, "I knew that she knew something about it! And I had suspicions… but I didn't know for sure…." She sat back down, "You sneaky bastard." Emma got up and hugged her son, "I fuckin' love you, Henry." She held him tight.

"EMMA SWAN!" Regina yelled, "Language."

"Oh, sorry…" She looked to Henry, "You know you can't say bastard or fuck, right?"

Henry laughed, "I know."

Ruby started backing to the front of the house, "Well, now that it's out in the open, I'm going to go back to the diner…"

Regina stood and walked her to the door, "If you ever pull anything like that with him again, I will make sure that a waitress is all you will ever be, you hear me?" She stared at Ruby.

"Yes ma'am—Madam Mayor, ma'am." Ruby gulped.

"However, since you helped bring Emma back to me…" She did something very much out of character… She leaned in and hugged the other brunette, "Thank you." She whispered.

Ruby smiled, "You're welcome, Madam Mayor… You deserve happiness… the real stuff, not the fake, in this for the look of it, stuff…"

Regina pulled away and nodded, not looking at her. Instead, she opened the door for the waitress and let her go. She walked back into the living room to find her lover and their son playing around.

"This is going to be a great, 'remember that one time'!" Emma nudged Henry before holding him tight, "Remember that one time when Henry pretended there was a fairytale curse to get his moms back together?! Yeah that was the greatest thing ever!" She laughed as he tried to squirm away from her, "No really, Henry…" She cupped her hand around his ear and whispered something that Regina couldn't hear.

Henry only nodded and looked up to find Regina, "Mom!" He ran over to her and hugged her, "I'm sorry I lied."

"This is the only time lying will ever be acceptable." She grinned and kissed his hair.


End file.
